Drawing You Near
by itsbeautiful9
Summary: *ONE-SHOT* Caroline had shown up at his door out of the blue at the worst possible time, his clothes still soaked with the blood of his hybrids, his face still contorted by his violence and the hurt of their betrayal. Why she bothered to appear at all, escaped him. She must have know that he was well aware of her role as "bait", as it were, he wasn't some idiotic high school boy.


**I do no own TVD or any of the characters therein.**

Klaus could hear Caroline's bare feet padding softly on the wood floor as she made her way from room to room looking for him. It took her awhile to finally find him, granted there were a lot of rooms to look through and he had made it hard on purpose. Klaus didn't want to be disturbed from his solitary mood tonight, even by her. He was caught up in his sketching, allowing his mind to go quiet at the motion of his charcoal laden hand against the creamy paper. Tonight, he discarded the muse that he had so regularly called upon in recent weeks. He had recreated Caroline's glowing face over and over again, almost obsessively, bringing her to life with his careful hands night after night until he couldn't bear it anymore. Klaus wanted her. But he couldn't have her. She wanted that…_boy. _He thought of Tyler with bitterness and jealousy. And hatred. For no earthly reason, Klaus had spared Tyler's life tonight. _He would not see it that way, I'm sure._

No, his muse was not Caroline tonight. Tonight, he drew his family. Rebekah, Kol, Elijah…even Finn. He drew them all with excruciating detail, his long lines thick and powerful, flowing across the paper with a furious pace. Tableaus of how they used to be before their mother cursed them for all eternity. Scenes of their humanity before all had been buried deep beneath betrayal after betrayal. Before his siblings had scattered across the world, only to be brought together again by Klaus's own dagger, by his own selfish desire to have them close. His family. He had hoped to wait a few more years before un-daggering Rebekah and reuniting them all. Give him a few more years to forget their unwise decisions. The image of Rebekah recklessly spilling his doppelgangers blood was still fresh in his mind. His sister needed to learn restraint when it came to dealing with him. But that could not be helped now. Now, they were all he had. Without his hybrids, Klaus was utterly alone.

A furious fire burned in his heart, but he had to admit that in one fell swoop the Lockwood boy had exploited his one weakness, his loneliness, forcing his own hand to do the dirty work. Klaus loathed being pushed into a corner, his hand should never be forced at anything, he growled to himself. But he had taken care of that. His mind flicked to Carol. _Yes, Tyler would have learned his lesson now._ Klaus thought of how Carol's blood had tasted against his tongue, smirking with triumph. Sweet revenge. Her blood had been unremarkable. But knowing that, by killing Carol he was causing Tyler the same pain he had felt dispatching his hybrids one by one…well, it had made the taste all the more potent.

Klaus's hand paused above a new blank page, not paying any attention to the crumpled drawings of his siblings that he had so careless discarded in heaps at his feet, but cocking his head to one side as he strained to find the sound of Caroline's footsteps once more. He had allowed his mind to be clouded but he quickly shook himself free, musing upon the most intriguing turn of events the night had wrought. Caroline had shown up at his door out of the blue at the worst possible time, his clothes still soaked with the blood of his hybrids, his face still contorted by his violence and the hurt of their betrayal. Why she bothered to appear at all, escaped him. She must have know that he was well aware of her role as "bait", as it were, he wasn't some idiotic high school boy. Did she not think he would extract penance from her? But there she had stood in her white dress, gleaming in the moonlight. _Embodying the purity of her no-doubt spotless soul_.

"Klaus…" Caroline breathed his name as he stepped out of the doorway and into the light, her shock at his bloody appearance was obvious but Klaus found he didn't care. She had said his name so breathily, so sensually, his mind had been immediately assaulted by images of her calling out his name beneath him, this time writhing in pleasure. He felt himself harden at the tempting thought. And she was looking at him with such eyes filled with…hope? He must be going mad, he could feel her crystal-blue-eyed stare piercing his skin. Klaus would never deny Caroline's beauty in these moments, he desired her too much. But he despised her with equal measure. For making him feel…vulnerable….human…making him feel _guilty._ What did he need guilt for? His own soul was as black as night, unredeemable.

"What do you want with me?" Klaus sneered at her, watching the doe-eyed look fall from her face immediately. "Come to see the results of all your plotting and scheming, love?" Klaus quirked an eyebrow at the guilty look that flashed across her face, but he felt no relief in knowing she felt somewhat responsible for what had transpired that night. In fact, he felt a fierce desire to tear Caroline down the way she did to him so effortlessly. Klaus wanted to hurt her. She had yet to speak, and he wanted her to admit it out loud that she had sunk to his level. She was no better than him. "Well, look no further sweetheart, I am covered in the fruits of your labor." He had growled at her, his hands motioning to his soiled suit, before leaving her standing in the doorway as he stalked off into the darkness of the mansion.

"Wait!" Caroline's voice echoed through the empty hallway, following him into the living room, the fireplace was crackling. Klaus blinked, not aware of whomever had gone through the pains of making his house hospitable. "Wait!" she called after him again, her sweet perfume alerting him that she was close behind. He allowed her to catch him, turning abruptly to face her as she jerked to a stop, startled, steadying herself by clutching his arm for a moment. His eyes narrowed. She snatched it away, quickly, leaving lingering warmth in Klaus's heart that he felt reluctant to part with. Even her simplest touches were intoxicating to him. She meddled with his mind. He had expected her to follow him, bite out some sort of apology to get back into his good graces, to string him along until another ill-fated assassination attempt was planned and her services needed. But no. He realized at her silence that she was preoccupied with rubbing something between her fingers, her face was contorted in an anguish, the veins in her eyes starkly standing out against her pale skin. It was blood from his jacket. She must have gotten some on her hand. "What have you done?" Caroline whispered harshly, snapping at him.

Klaus considered her for a moment, un-phased by her tone. _This was unexpected._ Her entire body was rigid. There was desire in her eyes, desire for the blood, he guessed. And he could tell it was strong, her body seemed to tremble with the effort it took to restrain herself. But it only took a moment of clarity for her to school her features into something resembling horror. Her eyes locked with his, searching him out. "You didn't…Tyler…". Klaus wanted to turn from her then, weariness seeping into his bones, but forced himself to face her. He was so bored of this infatuation she seemed to have for Lockwood. Tyler didn't understand all that she was capable of. How could he? He was just a boy…if Klaus had his way, he would have taught Caroline how to use her bloodlust, how to become stronger, so that her petty insecurities couldn't touch her anymore. So there would not be this endless back and forth between what she thought she wanted and what she truly desired. Caroline desired blood. And even through her mask of horror, Klaus knew that she desired him…and that was part of what horrified her so. _So fearful of her true nature._ "I didn't touch your precious Tyler." Klaus ground out, sensing her body immediately fill with relief and scowling, only comforted by the knowledge of his revenge. "But don't be so quick to relax, love, I'm sure he will regret my mercy by the morning." He warned her, smirking evilly as he loved watching Caroline become riled up. She was preparing to tear into him. He would relish it.

"What have you done?!" Caroline's voice rose with fiery anger. He glared at her, he hated himself a little bit for noticing the way her eyes glowed with her determination to put him in his place, with the reflections of the fireplace behind him. She was beautiful, even as she seethed under his gaze. Caroline seized on his weakness and drew closer to him, poking him in the chest. "Tell me, Klaus! Exactly whose blood do I have on my hands?!" Her voice was shrill now. _How apropos_. Finally admitting her hands were as dirty as his? His face was smug with triumph. This only seemed to infuriate her more. "Answer me, dammnit! I don't want to play these games with you anymore!" Caroline looked him in the eye at that and he was surprised she was so willing to speak frankly about the tantalizing dance they had been in these last weeks and he opened his mouth briefly as if to answer to her anger but she hadn't finished her rant. "Everybody is so damn eager to get revenge for some nonsense that happened _hundreds of years ago,_ or whatever, but I haven't even gone to school in like…." Her eyes shot back and forth in her head as if trying to remember, her arms flailing about with violent gestures, "…FOREVER! At this rate, I'm probably not even going to graduate! This is all so pointless! I'm sick of being used like some pawn! We are, all of us, monsters! No matter who wins in the end, nobody in this stupid town gets any closer to what they want, we all just end up killing each other!" She paused to take a breath, slowing down. "Seriously, I don't know anybody who hasn't been dead once by now…it's not super thrilling…." Caroline trailed off, her mouth finally snapping shut. She seemed almost surprised at what had spilled from her mouth, but stood her ground, her chest heaving from her yelling. He couldn't help but appreciate that fact.

Klaus could feel Caroline's gaze, avidly watching his face for any sign that maybe she had crossed a line with him. She hadn't. He was merely amused. Her strength of character impressed him. If this was how her mind worked daily…it's no wonder she was the most grounded of her little gang of friends. It seemed she had little concern for the supernatural tug-of-war they were all undoubtedly embroiled in. He tilted his head in her direction, preparing to answer her onslaught. "The blood on your hands is that of the hybrids you and your friends so foolishly convinced to betray me," Klaus voice was calm and steady, consciously glossing over any mention of Carol. He was greedy for Caroline's company, not wanting to feel her scorn at his actions. Her expression darkened at his admission. "And the blood should do as a reminder, Caroline, that I agree with you. This fighting is useless." She sucked in a breath of surprise at this statement before he continued bitterly, "In the end, I will survive, my family will survive…and the same can't be said for the rest of you should you continue with this pathetic scheming."

With that, Klaus had finally had enough. He did not care to discuss the events of that night with her any longer and he turned away to stare into the fire, trying to drive away her presence. It was harder than he thought. Klaus heard her sigh tiredly, dropping herself onto the sofa behind him. Even though he told himself that he would have no problem seeing her go, would have been happier to be left alone to his solitary gloom, his heart knew better. Klaus could feel the organ tense in his chest at the thought that she did not want to be parted from him yet. And he could admit, only to himself, that her company was a comfort. Single-handedly destroying his hybrid family had left him feeling empty in a way he hadn't been since he had begun his quest to cure the hybrid curse. He had no more doppelganger blood, the vampire cure was still too distant a concept to have any real use in turning Elena human any time soon, his siblings were scattered, and his hybrids were dead. Klaus's loneliness over the long centuries of his existence seemed to be catching up to him now, and it felt all-consuming. Except when Caroline was near.

"I couldn't find Tyler…" He heard Caroline murmur quietly behind him. "He just…left." Klaus heard her move her shoulders in a half-hearted shrug and turned around to be faced with her glistening eyes, wet with unshed tears. She felt as defeated as he did in that moment, he realized. That is why she had come to him. Caroline wouldn't look him in the eye, dipping her head, allowing her hair to shield her from his gaze. _Still strong, even amidst her despair._ "I'm just so tired of all of this. I'm so tired of feeling scared all the time." He felt his gut twist in the agony of rejection and guilt. _She was frightened of him._ He did not want her to feel that way.

Klaus had kept his deepest desire tucked away where nobody could exploit it. His desire to be loved and he felt it leap out of his chest in that moment, forcing his legs to slowly cross the room and sit gently at her side. Klaus wanted her to look at him the way he did her, with admiration, with care. He wanted Caroline to trust him and he did his best to move slowly so as not to startle her as he moved his hand to her face. He fingered one of her blonde curls, feeling its softness, imagining the softness of other parts of her body…. and he relished the play of emotions on her face. _Nervousness._ "Tyler was right to leave. His continued recklessness would have only lead to his own end." Klaus looked into her eyes, her face was drawn with pain. "But he was not right to leave you, love. I don't understand how he could." Caroline's eyes began to blink rapidly as she tried to swallow her emotions down. He merely watched, continuing to stroke her hair from her face. The light from the fire cast shadows upon him but illuminated her in front of his eyes. Her blonde hair was like a halo around her head and Klaus blinked at its brightness. She stared back at him bravely, her features softening at Klaus's gentle gesture, her lips parting and letting out a breath she was holding. He wanted to kiss her…Tyler was more foolish than he realized if he thought Caroline was merely to be used for his own revenge against his Sire and not to be protected. If she was his…Klaus allowed his thoughts to wander, his eyes finally tearing from hers and casting into the darkness. "You should not be anyone's pawn." Caroline's breathing hitched.

The heat of Caroline's body sitting so close to his own sent chills to Klaus's heart and her heat continued to grow hotter at his thoughtful admission. But he noticed it only momentarily before abruptly standing and striding out of the room. It disgusted him that his anger for her role in Tyler's plan had disappeared so quickly with a few soft looks from her. But he grudgingly accepted his weaknesses when it came to Caroline, knowing he could not get rid of his feelings for her even if he tried. And he had. Klaus did not want to be confronted with his feelings anymore tonight, however. He was tired of fighting so hard to keep everything under his control and he longed to find a way, someday, to simply let go. _Much like Caroline_. He mused. Looking down at himself, he realized he was still covered with blood, now dried and flaking off his skin as he walked, rubbing against the fabric of his suit. He needed a shower. He needed to wash away the evidence of his revenge and rid himself of his lustful thoughts - blood and otherwise.

Caroline was following him, he noted, following him down the corridor and in the direction of his bedroom. He didn't quite know what to do with that. Klaus chose to ignore it, for now. That night had been entirely too long, too emotionally heady for him to come to any answer about what to do next, now no longer protected by his hybrids, and he found he didn't care too much at the moment. Caroline's soothing presence had softened that worry. Curious, as they always started off their meetings with such pent up hostility only to find themselves so transparent in the end. _Pathetic. Here you set out to tear her down, hurt her, drag her down with you, and you end up comforting her._ Klaus was startled by the realization that the whole time he had been talking to Caroline, she had, more often than not, stared calmly into evidence of his monstrous deed. Knowing her compassion, he wondered how she could look at him with anything but hatred. Klaus reached his bedroom, he stripped himself of his soiled clothes, feeling Caroline's eyes boring a hole in the back of his head, and headed towards the bathroom. "I'm staying." He heard her call out after him in a voice determined not to be brushed off. He slammed the door behind him.

And she had done just that, Klaus thought darkly to himself, caught up in the memory, not paying attention to his hands, which were a flurry of movement on his drawing pad. Looking down, he was frustrated to find that he had unconsciously begun another portrait of Caroline, whose 2D eyes stared longingly back at him, echoing his own desires. Klaus let out a harsh huff and ripped the paper, crumpling it in his hand and letting it fall to his feet with all the others. She had been there when he had fallen asleep, curled up on his bed. She had been there when he had awakened, staring at him. Waiting for his next move. Expecting him to do something. It turned his stomach into knots. Klaus didn't know what she wanted. So he had been avoiding her all day, finding solitude in empty rooms, drawing his frustrations away. Trying to come up with a plan. He would need to wake Rebekah….but that was as far as he had gotten before being distracted once more hearing Caroline loudly looking for him around the house. Klaus agitatedly ran his hands through his hair, calming himself down, becoming intent once more on drawing his siblings in all their original uniqueness, determined to keep his face a mask of cool calm as she breezed into the room wearing _his_ clothes, finally finding him out.

"I'm bored." She announced. Klaus spared Caroline a small glance at that. She was fresh faced and eager, her eyes bright. In short, she looked ready to cause him some trouble and he groaned internally in equal parts anticipation and reluctance.

"Bored already, love? After only having just concluded our thrilling game of hide-and-seek?" Klaus teased her, knowing all the while that it would rile her up. He was such a masochist.

Caroline gaped at his cheekiness, causing him to smirk in self-satisfaction. He liked playing with her, she always rose to the occasion. "You-You knew?! I was looking for you this whole time and you didn't say anything?!" She pointed accusingly at him, her eyes narrowed. "I've been searching for _hour_s through this damn house and you've been purposely hiding from me this whole time?!" As Caroline said this, she seemed to make a realization, causing her to blush and soften, peering closer at Klaus's face to try and read his mood. He simply glared at her, trying to put her off her searching glance.

"Yes, I'm quite aware how long you have been looking, sweetheart," he started haughtily, "Just some friendly advice, you might want to rethink your searching tactic if you ever want your quarry to be _found_. Then again, maybe it was your intention on annoying me out of hiding with all the racket you insisted on making!" He said this lightly, making sure she knew that he was teasing her, not wanting to start the day out on the wrong foot. Klaus was used to being alone, finding his own diversions and he expected the same from her, not knowing how to deal with the interests of another person. His siblings had always known this about him. Klaus simply had no patience for other people and so they rarely bothered him…unless Rebekah was in one of her moods…She and Caroline had more in common than they thought. He turned his attention back to his drawing, causing Caroline to cross her arms impatiently and finally huff loudly when he continued to ignore her.

Finally, giving up on getting his attention, she seemed to turn her attention to the room he was in. Every wall was lined with bookcases filled to their capacity, only leaving space for two large bay windows and let in the light that had attracted Klaus for his drawing. He was lounged comfortably on a plush sofa, sketch-pad resting on his legs, that lay in the middle of the room. He had the perfect vantage to curiously appraise Caroline as she explored her surroundings without her knowing. Every so often she would try and sneak a glance his way but he would always avert his eyes until she looked away once more. She was looking through the book titles intently, her bare toes wiggling and sinking into the lush carpeted floor beneath her. Klaus thought she looked adorable as she picked out a book with a flourish of motion and flopped down onto the couch next to him, jostling his drawing hand. He shot her a dirty look. Caroline didn't look appropriately sorry. "What?" She mouthed to him, rolling her eyes violently.

Caroline began to read and Klaus pretended to ignore her, instead feeling himself consumed by her closeness. She seemed so willing to be close to him all of a sudden, her entire side practically smashed against his own. From where she was sitting he could see every twitch of her eyebrow as she started reading, every smile line at the corner of her mouth. Caroline looked so real to him up close, no barriers between them in that moment. Klaus wondered when she had decided to be okay acting so familiar in his presence. She absently scratched her nose. He tried to go back to his drawing but she was making it very difficult. Her foot jiggled. Every couple of minutes she would let out a small sigh and dart her eyes to him, trying to catch his eye. The book wasn't holding her attention. _Moby Dick._ That's why, Klaus chuckled under his breath. "What?" Caroline said, this time aloud.

"Having trouble reading, are we?" He asked her, his eyebrow quirking at her with a challenge. She scoffed at him, not answering, a blush covering her cheeks. His eyes widened in comprehension. "Or is it my presence that flusters you so?" He coyly asked her, reaching out one finger to trail softly down her arm making her shiver. Klaus smirked. Caroline seemed speechless all of a sudden, looking at him with a bit of fear in her eyes. _Finally._ He thought, biting back a full-on smile. "If I am making you nervous, then by all means, let's find a way to _relieve_ your anxiety…" Klaus drawled suggestively, not unduly heartbroken at the prospect of leaving his drawing pad and his family behind to indulge her in some…_relieving_, if that is what she desired. But Caroline turned her nose up obstinantely at his suggestion.

"Ummm…NO." She replied pointedly. "I'm perfectly happy here with…" Caroline turned to look at the cover, "Moby Dick." She nodded to herself and Klaus smiled at her antics. He couldn't wait to see how long this lasted. She would be bored quickly. Moby Dick was rather tedious if he remembered correctly and she seemed to have a short attention span, he knew this, this was exactly why he had avoided her for so long that day. He needed time to think through to a new plan, and he found it exceedingly difficult when she was around, he thought as he felt Caroline move to rest her head on his shoulder as she read. The moved shocked him to the core. Nobody had ever been this physically…easy with him before. And neither had he, he mused. But he felt no panic at the contact with her. He only wished he could capture it somehow. It was like she sucked all of the light and energy in the room until it was centered on her and you had no choice but to look. Even more determined than before, Klaus returned to drawing his family.

He drew Kol, impetuous and cruel with a smirk on his face. No doubt Kol would suggest tormenting the citizens of Mystic Falls a bit in the absence of their dear Mayor Lockwood. He drew Rebekah, focusing on the entitled air she held in her mere posture, and the way her eyes flashed with impatience at her brother's temper tantrums. She would go after Tyler, he knew, her loyalty to Klaus was almost absolute. He drew Elijah, always in a suit with a grave expression on his face, so intense and focused on the task at hand. He would surely advise leaving the small town entirely, switching focus to finding the vampire cure, ensuring Klaus's hybrid endgame. He missed them all. He hated admitting it but he sketched their likenesses with care, taking the time to get their expressions right, to capture their essence on paper. All of a sudden his reverie was broken by a full-bellied laugh._ Caroline._ His eyes narrowed, tilting his head to look down at her, surprised that she seemed to be seriously studying his drawing of Elijah, albeit with a hearty smile on her face and laughter in her eyes. "You know, it's rude to laugh at someone's artwork." Klaus remarked grumpily, put off that she seemed to find his drawing so funny. She merely laughed again.

"No, no!" She cried between giggles, "It's just-It looks just like him!" She motioned to Elijah. "Even down to the stick up his butt!" Caroline cackled now with laughter, and Klaus felt her shaking at his side. He could see her tearing up, she was laughing so hard. He cracked a small smile. "I'm sorry. Sorry," she breathed out, trying to keep a straight face now. She was having a difficult time. "Sorry, I know I shouldn't laugh at your brother." Caroline said this seriously, even though a few remaining giggles escaped her lips. She had horrible control over herself, Klaus thought, amused. Finally, with some deep breathing, she calmed down enough to rest her head back down upon his shoulder and look up at him. He felt himself slide into a thoughtful mood now. Looking at his drawing, he could admit that he did make Elijah look a bit…well, we could say _constipated._ Klaus smiled and shook his head a bit. "How come Elijah is so serious all the time?" Caroline asked him inquisitively.

"Time, I suppose…" Klaus trailed off, frowning.

"Yeah, but you all have been around the same amount of time!" Caroline lightly shoved Klaus in his side as if trying to prod him into giving her a _real _answer. "You guys can't be all so different as that!" She exclaimed.

"Well, you don't see me running off to the circus now, do you? Or Rebekah or Kol, for that matter." He remarked as if this was the most obvious thing ever. Caroline just rolled her eyes at this.

"Their loss." Klaus raised his eyebrows her consideringly as she continued completely straight-faced. "Clearly you lot were all born to bring laughter to us all." Looking into her eyes now, their faces were mere inches apart and he was trying to read her. Was she being sarcastic? Just as he was about to ask in useless confusion, she made herself cross eyed and burst out laughing once more.

"Oh, that's it!" Klaus raged, a wide grin on his face. And he lunged for her as she squealed and tried to escape his grasp. She should have known better than to try to get away from him. His arms were like an octopus, grabbing her body and ticking her mercilessly until she could barely breath and her chest was heaving raggedly. No matter how she kicked her legs or squirmed in his arms, she could not return the favor to him. He was too strong. He wouldn't let her. Then, abruptly, he pulled her still, her back against his chest, his mouth whispering into her ear. "It's about control, love." He wanted to explain to Caroline exactly how thin of a line they all walked each day of their undead lives. If you tipped over that line, there would be no _living_ with them, only the dead. Klaus could feel her breathing slow down, and her heart rate pick up, her pulse jumping at the veins in her neck. "If one of us lets go for one moment, one slip up, there would be no controlling the bloodlust…And our lust is infinite, love" He drew out the word _lust_, his voice gravelly and low, clearly affected by her soft body pressed so close against his own. Klaus turned Caroline around in his arms now, to see her eyes dilate imperceptively at his use of the word. "Especially mine. I'm insatiable." He warned her.

**There are a few things that I obviously missed when I was writing this one-shot. Klaus did not, in fact, kill Carol by draining her and yet I had a good paragraph where I talked about that. Additionally, the first paragraph or two should have been set in the daytime and his flashback memory at night to differentiate. The only excuse I have for this is that I stayed up all night writing this in practical delirium so it's a miracle that any of it made a lick of sense! Thank you all for reading. **

**NOWI am trying to figure out my strengths and weaknesses as a writer and I would love any constructive criticism that you could give me, AS LONG AS IT IS CONSTRUCTIVE and HELPFUL. Don't bring me down, please. I love Klaroline and I ship them like crazy because I love all you other shippers and how positive you are about one of the most underdog tvd ships ever. Gotta love it. So HELP ME SHIPPERS!**


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